Årc is managed based on the principles of a co-operative (Co-op). But why did Årc choose this structure instead of the corporate model used by most businesses? It is not a matter of having higher ideals. We chose it because it is the structure that makes the most sense for our purpose: growing the commons.

Årc is not a place that simply embraces the idea of the commons. We are trying to make it work as a system that can sustain itself over time. We call that system the Commons Economy. If the commons is about what we value, the Commons Economy is about how we keep it going. In this article, we'll explore the thinking behind this economy and how it works in practice.

We call Årc yakushima a Commons. But for many people, the word may not be familiar. Here, we'd like to trace the long history behind it and explain why we've chosen this word to describe Årc. This is a slightly longer read, but we hope it will take you closer to the thinking at the heart of Årc.